Twenty four hour periods slip by inconspicuously on the boat, where our schedules revolve around the changing of the watch and the hourly ding from the ship’s chronometer. It seems like time has been even sneakier in passing lately, as we have become more in tune with the schedule of ship life, transitioning smoothly from sleep to watch to class to meals to sleep.repeat.  Nevertheless, we have somehow crossed off over thirty calendar days since first arriving on the ship, and the end of our journey is creeping closer.

As there have been large swells all day today, we are currently “hove to,” meaning that the sails are set such that we are not using them to make forward progress. Rather, they are helping to keep us steady while we ride out the rolling seas and strong winds, which fortunately happen to be helping us drift toward Bermuda. We are due to arrive in port in just a few days!

SEA Semester® undergraduates aid collection efforts informing plastic “garbage patch” studies in Pacific Ocean

An estimated 21,290 metric tons of plastic particles are currently floating in the North Pacific subtropical gyre, with a mass equivalent to 132 Boeing 747 airplanes or 120 blue whales. This estimate, the most complete and accurate evaluation of Pacific Ocean plastic pollution to date, comes from eleven years of plastic debris collection and the efforts of over 1,700 undergraduate students studying abroad with SEA Semester, operated by Sea Education Association (SEA) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

We’re currently experiencing one of the epic days of sailing on this trip. The NE trade wind is blowing fresh and the Seamans is on a starboard tack close reach, heeling and making for some dynamic sailing. There is an occasional splash of spray over the windward side and even more occasionally a flying fish has been turning up on deck, having been carried aboard with the wind. Yesterday we made our best day’s run of the trip having logged 155.3 miles in 24 hours. This is the homeward stretch toward Hilo and the trade winds are expected for the duration.

Others” rise and shine to your 06:00 wakeup call. The Cramer moved through the night on diesel not wind, this did not keep us from catching a few greatly needed Z’s.  As soon as breakfast was set, Captain gave the order for an early morning Unmanned Aerial Research Vehicle activity. The winds were calm and the sea was quiet. So preparations were underway for a second flight.  A host of preflight checklist items being tended to by Robert, Archimedes Aerospace’s Intern and ‘C’ Watch member.

Greetings from the deep blue! Or rather, from the looks of the world outside the library port hole, the dark black. Night has fallen and Jerelle and I just put a big bowl of pasta primavera on each table, ringing the first dinner bell promptly at 1820. As swells roll by, the gimbaled tables alternately rise to each diner’s hungry chin, and then fall into their laps, leaving forkfuls of food comically far away from their departure points.

‘A’ watch awoke for the morning shift from a very sleepless night. The large swells had us rocking in our bunks to the sound of quickly shifting galley appliances throughout the night. Mustering the will to concentrate, we went about our duties on deck and in lab. Stood down at 1300, we quickly ate a delicious lunch before preparing for today’‘s special 1430 class.

Time is beginning to tick down to our Bermuda deadline. Team Phyllo (my team) has begun extracting DNA from the phyllosoma collected in the net tows. Unfortunately our crispy critters are taking longer to break down than expected. Hopefully we will be done in time for Team Lepto to start working on extracting from their eels.

A few days after departing Nuku Hiva, we have started to settle back into the daily routine of life at sea. Or so it might appear. However, a closer look will reveal many signs that we’ve made our way into the final stretch of our time here on the ship.

The voices calling out “Hands to set the JT” and the faces carefully studying the radar now belong to the students of S252!

Happy Easter to family and friends on land!

The last couple days have been super busy for all of us aboard the Robert C. Seamans. The pollywog crew members and students faced Neptune’s judgment yesterday and became official shellbacks after crossing the Equator. Some of us even made donations to Neptune in the form of haircutting. Many braids were thrown from the ship and quickly taken away by the sea. The mohawks and shaved heads look great, guys!